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blogging,
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Monday Update 12-15-25

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Recipe: "Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions"
Food
Birdfeeding
Safety
Today's Cooking
Science
Birdfeeding
Economics
Philosophical Questions: Humans
Water
Birdfeeding
Early Humans
Follow Friday 12-12-25: Labyrinth
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Today's Cooking
Sustainability
Family Skills
History
Poem: "Koinophobia"
Poem: "Nementia"
Politics
Birdfeeding
Good News

Trauma has 46 comments. Affordable Housing has 77 comments. Robotics has 118 comments.

The 2025 Holiday Poetry Sale will run Monday, December 15 through Friday 19. This is a good place to spend holiday money or buy a gift for a fellow bookworm. \o/

Winterfaire 2025 is now open! List a Booth for anything you sell that would make good holiday gifts, or comment with what you're shopping for to crowdsource ideas. There are links to two similar shopping events online. if you know others, please pass the word.

"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv. It needs $72 to be complete. Shiv and his classmates discuss magical weather, magical geography, natural resources, plants and animals, history, and other aspects of worldbuilding.

The weather has been cold and snowy here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, at least one female and four male cardinals, several mourning doves, and a wren.

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Recipe: "Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions"

Today I made this soup, based on a similar recipe from Stock the Crock page 24. I wanted to write down my version so I don't forget it.

( Read more... )

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rl: health

in lieu...

... of the misc.exhausted.me, I am going to offer a GOOD vaccination tale. As I see so many posts saying "yes it sucks but do it anyway", I want to offer the counter of "sometimes it does go fine".

I did Shingles/Flu/Covid in the fall, before Halloween, I think. NB: I 'd had covid for the first time this past winter, and it may have mitigated the vax some, or my body is finally adapting to it. I have had flu-like symptoms each time except the very first two shots, but! This time. With the trio of shots given on Friday evening, I had about a four hour window the next day, 10-ish hours later, of mild aches and NOTHING else.

Fast forward to this week. Shingles #2, and like I said, I'd seen so many people saying if the first one doesn't knock you low, the second will, and many react to both. Folks, my arm is still sore like I got TDaP, but I have had no aches, no fever, no lethargy. Sometimes, your body looks at the roadmap it just got handed, says okay, and just adds the necessary warning signs.

If you are over 50 (in the USA), consider getting it. I've known people with Shingles. YOU DO NOT WANT IT. Get vaxxed. And remember, every immune system is different, so don't assume you will have a bad time.

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Safety

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.

All told, more than half of Parkinson’s research dollars in the past two decades have flowed toward genetics.
But Parkinson’s rates in the US have doubled in the past 30 years. And studies suggest they will climb another 15 to 35 percent in each coming decade. This is not how an inherited genetic disease is supposed to behave.
Despite the avalanche of funding, the latest research suggests that only 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases can be fully explained by genetics. The other three-quarters are, functionally, a mystery.
[---8<---]
Parkinson’s, it appeared, could be caused by a chemical.

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Food

Scientists find dark chocolate ingredient that slows aging

Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between dark chocolate and slower aging. A natural cocoa compound called theobromine was found in higher levels among people who appeared biologically younger than their real age.

Well, that's good news! :D Watch for clinical-grade chocolate with a high level of cocoa solids (dark or the higher end of milk), preferably organic and environmentally friendly. Enjoy a recipe:

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread

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Human Rights

Three-year-old child forced to serve as her own attorney in Tucson immigration court

The child, barely old enough to talk, was one of 25 immigrant children forced to fight removal efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the Pima County immigration courthouse in Tucson on Nov. 24.

This article highlights numerous abuses and other problems.

( Read more... )

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Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and quite frigid. It snowed copiously yesterday, wiping out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus at least one mourning dove. The windows are frosted so much that it's hard to identify them.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen two male and one female cardinal. At one point, the sparrows were trying to fit 7-8 birds on an edge of the hopper feeder with room for maybe 4-5 if they weren't fighting. So it's actually beyond four-bird-cold today!

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

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Safety

One Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise, Study Says

They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level. The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy still held. Only smoking had a stronger link.

Good, adequate sleep is a survival need. Modern society often sabotages it.

However, this study suggests that banking sleep on weekends can mitigate the effects of lost sleep during the week. I used to do that in school, and people said it didn't work, but it certainly helped my energy level. It may be a trick that some but not all bodies can do.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Today's Cooking

Today's plan to visit a holiday market got wiped out by copious snow. Again. :( So I'm drowning our sorrows in a batch of Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread.

Entry tags:

recs

Various Links 12/7 - 12/13

~ Simone Ashley in a suit - gif set
~ Cate Blanchett in a suit - photo
~ Halle Bailey looking like a real life barbie doll - photos

~ James Stewart and Hedy Lamarr in COME LIVE WITH ME (1941) - gif set
~ Narnia: The Magician's Nephew in production - wiki link
~ let's talk about Emperor Palpatine's last week leading up to the conclusion of Episode IV - text post

~ Modern day chatelaine with tutorial - pictures and text
~ Better late than never (Saiyuki [Manga]) - fic link
~ A doctor starts seeing patients as people and taking notes - text post, poignant

~ Hellboy cosplay - video
~ Art by Science - video

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[X-Men: Evolution] New Winter Traditions

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keyword: villains

Star Trek: Villain's Week

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Science

Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected

Humans may carry ancient neural traces that let us recognize the voices of our primate cousins.

Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives. Researchers found a specialized region in the auditory cortex that reacts distinctly to chimp vocalizations, but not to those of bonobos or macaques, revealing an unexpected mix of evolutionary and acoustic influences.

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Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and cold with copious snow. This has wiped out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, at least one female and four male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a tiny wren clinging to the bathroom window as it probed the edges for hibernating insects.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

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Speak Up Saturday

Assortment of black and white speech bubbles

Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?

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For my Wife

AO3 Link | Dreams of Lost Chances (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Essalieyan Universe -- Michelle West
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gilliam of Elseth/Stephen of Elseth [Essalieyan Universe]
Characters: Gilliam of Elseth [Essalieyan Universe], Stephen of Elseth [Essalieyan Universe]
Additional Tags: Drabble, Present Tense, Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death
Summary:

Gil, Stephen, a moment that can never be

Dreams of Lost Chances

"This is just a dream. You're not really here. You ... you left me."

"No."

"I lost you!"

"Even if I am only a dream, I am a part of you. Or ... do you still hold yourself back from all we could have been?"

The snarl is familiar, ripping out of Gil's throat moments before the Hunter is upon the Huntbrother. Lips, tongue, teeth move with fierce possession over skin, met with something not truly submissive but giving ground. What was denied by death finds voice and passion here, now, a stolen moment in effigy.

It is all Gil can have.

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Economics

Ground Zero: Los Angeles and the Endgame of the Growth Ponzi Scheme

Los Angeles didn’t mismanage its way into crisis. It built its way here.

I disagree. If a city does not track all of its liabilities, such as the maintenance costs of roads and utilities, that is mismanagement. You can't run a budget when you don't know where your money is going. That ought to be obvious.

( Read more... )

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recurring posts

Philosophical Questions: Humans

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of general human flourishing?

Necessary. Insofar as we know, Homo like most primates is a troop animal, evolved to live in groups rather than alone. Individuals may choose to live alone, but it is much more difficult. Of course, humans can choose to create groups that are themselves positive or negative in structure and behavior, but that's a personal choice.

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Fandom Fifty: #42

2016 - Okay this year is a rough one for me to think on. But let's see how the movies went.

oh my, only three?

Star Trek: Beyond -- I am never not gonna be pissed that the franchise for this set ended here. Because, you see, while Urban and Yelchin stole my hearts from day one, it was THIS MOVIE that felt like everyone had fully found a way to bring the roles to life with the spirit of their predecessors and their own takes merging BEAUTIFULLY. Then again, losing Yelchin... maybe it's best.

Hidden Figures - HISTORY! Dramatized! Could have done without the shift on the white guy getting the bathroom policy changed from real life, BUT! The whole film introduced me to fuller stories for names I'd only known in passing, as it made me dig in and find historic accounts! Also, hot damn that is one beautiful cast.

Star Wars: Rogue One - This? This was Star Wars in a way I had not felt Star Wars since RotJ. It was about hope, it was about quick-knitting hero teams, it was about giving your all, no matter the cost, to end the evil. To say Rogue One belongs with the OT for me is no hyperbole. I love everything it did to enhance the mythos.

Current Mood: ecstatic

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Mood Theme in a Year Returns!

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